Dad and I weren't up for the heavy traffic headed north last night, so stayed close to home in Sausalito yesterday evening for dinner. We went to an old favorite, Sweet Ginger on Caledonia Street. They preserve an old Japanese tradition of serving warm moist washcloths upon your arrival. The staff has always been courteous and everything came out in the right order and promptly. It was moderately busy for a weekday evening, yet everyone seemed to be served quite well. There was a sign on the door that they are taking a year end break so will be closed from today, December 18, and reopening January 2nd.
We started with an almond tempura shrimp appetizer which was very generous with the amount of almonds and a nice crunchy taste treat. This was followed by miso soup, and I upgraded to an asari miso. The clams always add a little more depth to the soup.
Dad wanted to go with the familiar, and ordered the chicken teriyaki. Dad was especially attracted to the perfectly cooked and bright green broccoli and almost finished it off before starting on the chicken and rice. He remarked on how tender the chicken was and that it was 'easy to eat', in Dad's parlance that is something akin to' easy on the eye'. The portion was generous. Personally I prefer teriyaki where the meat or fish has been marinated in the sauce, this one appeared to be a topping, however it was certainly a hit with Dad.
I ventured out this trip to try their sushi combo. I usually don't have much beyond their delicious California rolls, so it was a good thing to check in on the sushi side of things. The fish was fresh and melted coolly on the tongue. The rice was correctly vinegared and in the right proportion to the fish. It was a very nice sampling with eight different nigiri plus a California roll with genuine crab inside. I've found another favorite dish to have here!
Dad wanted some dessert, although boxing half his chicken for later. He was intrigued by the fireball, tempuraed vanilla ice cream. It was beautifully presented and Dad said he likes this new way of serving ice cream.
I sampled their mochi ice cream, having green tea and coffee flavors. Dad and I had a great time and throughly enjoyed the evening's experience. Considering how long they have been open just a couple blocks down from the more celebrated Sushi Ran, they have to have a solid base of fans in the area.
Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 1
Noncritical: 2
Last inspected: 7/24/2008
Previously reviewed:
June 9, 2007
September 1, 2006
July 21, 2005
1 comment:
That almond shrimp tempura looks amazing.
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